News 09:00

BULLETIN 56 August 9 am

Good morning. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# ActionSA will discuss the funding crisis with the National Lottery Commissioner
# The DA welcomes a probe into the missing 500-million-rand at Onderstepoort
# And the world’s oldest man is celebrating his 112th birthday today

# ActionSA is scheduled to meet with National Lottery Commissioner, Jodi Scholtz, to address critical issues plaguing the National Lottery Commission. The commission received five-thousand-304 applications from non-government organisations in the 2023/2024 financial year, and only one-thousand applications have been adjudicated so far. ActionSA’s, Alan Beesley, says one pressing issue is the stagnation of grant increases over the past 14 years. He says last year’s one-billion-rand grants fell far short of the inflation-adjusted 2.5-billion-rand needed today:

# The DA has welcomed the decision by Agriculture minister John Steenhuisen to investigate the missing 500-million-rand at Onderstepoort Biological Products. OBP is a state-owned animal vaccine manufacturing entity whose primary mandate is to manufacture animal vaccines. The DA’s, Willie Aucamp, says it is clear that something untoward is going on at OBP, and an investigation is warranted:

# Gauteng MEC for Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko says the findings on fraudulent medico-legal claims will go a long way in stopping the explosion of medical malpractice litigation against the department. According to the Special Investigating Unit, 58 medico-legal claims valued at 66-million-rand have been investigated in Gauteng, while investigations into two-thousand-392 medical negligence claims are yet to be finalised. The department’s spokesperson, Motaletale Modiba, says in the fourth quarter of 2023/2024, they have decreased the rand value of medico-legal claims to 13.2-billion-rand:

# Tennis: Novak Djokovic has joined the discussion on doping cases after Jannik Sinner escaped suspension after testing positive for a banned substance. With the American Open starting today, the Serbian champion calls for clear protocols and standardised approaches. The Italian world number one twice tested positive for clostebol – a steroid that can be used to build muscle mass – in March. Sinner was cleared after his now-fired physiotherapist Giacomo Naldi admitted inadvertently using the over-the-counter substance on his hands before treatment.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-74-cents and the euro at 19-rand-84-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-42-cents and Bitcoin trades at 64-thousand-168-dollars-93-cents. Gold sells at two-thousand-510-dollars-7-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 79-dollars-52-cents a barrel.

# And finally, the world’s oldest living man, John Tinniswood, says he takes turning 112 in his stride like anything else in life. He was born in Liverpool on the 26th of August 1912. Tinniswood, who lives at a care home in Southport, England, became the world’s oldest living man in April when 114-year-old Juan Vicente Pérez Mora died. This was declared by the Guinness World Records. Tinniswood says he has no special secret on why he has lived this long, but he loves eating fish and chips every Friday.

Stay tuned for more news………….